The present disclosure relates generally to the industrial design of an electronic device and, more particularly, to techniques for hiding components of an electronic device behind a window, such as a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) window, while such components are not in use.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Electronic devices are becoming more and more sophisticated, capable of performing a multitude of tasks from image capture to identity verification through biometric sensors. Providing increased functionality often involves adding components to such electronic devices. However, adding more components can lead to a cluttered, unattractive electronic device.
Current techniques for incorporating components into an electronic device may be limited by the relative sizes of the components and the electronic device. The larger the components and the smaller the electronic device, the less spatial area there may be to incorporate additional components. For example, a small electronic device where a large display covers most of the face of the electronic device may not allow for any additional components, such as a fingerprint reader, to be added to the electronic device. Furthermore, under the current techniques, adding new components may harm the aesthetic appeal of the device by cluttering the electronic device enclosure, even though these additional components may be seldom or never used by many users. An electronic device that incorporates multiple components may lose its aesthetic appeal when covered by visible components, particularly as compared to a seamless electronic device where very few, if any, components of the electronic device are visible.